Everyone looked at the obviously youngest “doctor” present, and the air seemed to freeze for a moment.
Song Ning, however, paid no attention to their reactions.
Although she had said she would “give it a try,” there wasn’t the slightest hesitation in her actions.
After putting on a mask and gloves, she stepped forward, took the forceps from Dr. Feng, picked up an alcohol-soaked cotton ball, and began cleaning the blood around the patient’s wound.
At the same time, she said to the doctor assisting nearby,
“Please prepare two more syringes of lidocaine.”
The doctor snapped out of his daze and glanced at Dr. Feng.
Only after seeing Dr. Feng nod did he hurry away to make preparations.
The doctors around them, as well as the soldiers standing nearby, unconsciously held their breath, their eyes fixed on Song Ning’s hands.
As the cotton ball wiped away the blood around the wound, and before fresh blood could gush out again, Song Ning skillfully and deftly inserted silver needles into several major acupuncture points on the injured leg.
Not only the leg, but also the back of the hand and even the sole of the foot were sequentially needled.
In traditional Chinese medicine, stopping bleeding involved regulating blood circulation throughout the body.
There were practitioners of Chinese medicine present, and those who understood the field could appreciate what they were seeing.
Even they couldn’t help but marvel at her boldness and decisiveness with the needles.
When the wound was cleaned again, everyone was astonished to discover that the injury, which had been bleeding profusely just moments earlier, was now slowly clotting.
“It worked! The bleeding is stopping!”
Only then did Song Ning turn to the company commander lying half-reclined on the stretcher.
“Comrade, before suturing, we must thoroughly clean your wound. It’s very deep. Because the anesthetic effect is limited, you will still feel pain, but I guarantee it will remain within a tolerable range.”
The company commander’s face was pale.
His hair was soaked, and droplets slid down the corners of his forehead.
No one could tell whether they were rainwater or sweat from the pain.
Standing beneath the light, Song Ning’s white coat was half-soaked and stained with mud.
Her mask covered most of her face, but it was still obvious how young she was.
Yet her eyes remained calm and confident.
The company commander weakly nodded.
Song Ning then signaled to the doctor who had prepared the anesthetic.
Pointing to two locations on the injured leg, she said,
“Please inject one dose here and another here.”
The doctor nodded and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.
He looked visibly nervous.
“I’ll do it. Let me.”
Dr. Feng stepped forward, took the syringe, and administered the anesthetic exactly where Song Ning indicated.
While waiting for the anesthesia to take effect, Song Ning picked up a roll of clean gauze and held it near the company commander’s mouth.
“Bite down on this.”
The company commander tilted his head slightly, seemingly feeling it wasn’t necessary.
Ignoring his reluctance, Song Ning stuffed the gauze into his mouth.
When the wound cleaning began, the tearing sensation from scraping damaged flesh was indeed gone.
However, whenever the cotton touched exposed tissue, he still couldn’t help tensing his entire body and biting down hard on the gauze.
Just as she had said—
It hurt.
But it remained within the limits of what he could endure.
He found himself grateful to this young doctor.
That small gesture had spared him from letting out another uncontrollable roar of pain in front of his subordinates.
The sand and debris embedded in the wound were cleaned out.
The wound was stitched.
The bone was set.
A splint was applied and wrapped with bandages.
Song Ning handled the entire procedure herself in one smooth sequence.
Every movement was precise and efficient.
“All done. Rest well and recover properly. You’ll regain full function.”
Only then did everyone finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Several soldiers carried the stretcher away so the company commander could receive an IV drip.
Dr. Feng grabbed Song Ning’s hands and shook them repeatedly, his face filled with excitement.
“Excellent! Excellent! The younger generation is truly formidable! Our team finally has someone capable of carrying the burden!”
Another doctor nearby sighed in admiration.
“Traditional Chinese medicine truly is profound. Xiao Song, I couldn’t quite understand some of those acupuncture points you used just now…”
Several others immediately gathered around as well.
Song Ning was about to explain when hurried footsteps interrupted her.
A group of people entered from outside.
Leading them was Director Sun, the official responsible for coordinating the settlement of disaster victims in Gaoping.
He had been the one to receive and assign the medical team upon their arrival.
Behind him were two soldiers in military uniforms.
The moment Director Sun saw Dr. Feng, he called out from a distance,
“Dr. Feng! Thank you for your hard work! We have an urgent situation that requires your team’s support!”
Then he turned toward one of the officers.
“Battalion Commander Zhao, please explain.”
Battalion Commander Zhao first saluted everyone in the room before speaking.
“Here’s the situation. Yanjiao Village, which was originally the least affected area, was struck by a mudslide in the early hours of this morning. The roads have been destroyed, and the villagers cannot evacuate for the time being. However, there are injured people who urgently need treatment. We need support from your medical team.”
Director Sun added,
“The First Medical Team is stationed at the Geping relocation site. The military medical teams have already been dispersed among the hardest-hit villages. Right now, only your team can reinforce Yanjiao Village.”
Dr. Feng immediately replied,
“Understood! If the organization needs us, we will cooperate with everything we’ve got!”
Battalion Commander Zhao continued,
“Because the roads are impassable, Yanjiao Village is still more than ten miles away through mountain terrain. Some sections require crossing mountains or climbing with ropes. Therefore, we need doctors with the best physical fitness. Two or three people will be enough for emergency treatment. Bring as many medical supplies as possible. Soldiers delivering relief materials will accompany them.”
As soon as those words were spoken, Dr. Feng froze.
He turned and looked at the makeshift team that had been assembled in only a day or two.
Truthfully, there were still people whose names he hadn’t even learned yet.
After only a brief hesitation, he spoke.
“You’ve all heard the situation. We have an emergency, and we need people to step up. Let’s set aside those who haven’t returned yet. As for those present, please volunteer if you’re willing.”
Although he was the team leader, he didn’t know everyone’s individual circumstances well enough to make decisions for them.
After speaking, Dr. Feng turned to Director Sun.
“Director Sun, I’ll volunteer first. My stamina is decent, and my medical skills… aren’t bad either.”
Battalion Commander Zhao immediately stopped him.
“With all due respect, given the circumstances, older comrades should stay behind. Physical fitness comes before medical skill right now. Our soldiers are each carrying dozens of kilograms of supplies. When the time comes, they may not have the strength left to help you.”
“I’ll go.”
Song Ning stepped forward at that moment.
“I’m the youngest person here. I’ve been climbing mountains since I was a child. My stamina won’t be a problem.”
“Then I’ll go too!”
Another person stepped out behind her and raised a hand.
“Other than Xiao Song, I’m probably the youngest here.”
Song Ning turned around.
It was Zheng Chang’an from her group.
He winked at her, his face full of excitement and eagerness.
There wasn’t much debate.
In the end, it was decided that Song Ning, Zheng Chang’an, and a young man surnamed Wu would head out as reinforcements.
The one thing all three had in common was—
Youth.
Battalion Commander Zhao checked his watch and instructed them to gather at the designated location in twenty minutes.
Before leaving, he specifically went to see the injured company commander.
Patting him on the shoulder, he said,
“Well done! Focus on recovering. When we get back, I’ll make sure you’re commended for your service.”